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Girls RISE Resources Directory

The Girls RISEnet resource catalog is a dynamic listing of crowd-sourced research and resources on engaging girls in engineering. Registered members of girlsrisenet.org can contribute resources through the "My Account" link above. If you are not a member of the site, please contact us to submit or suggest an addition.

Not Lack of Ability but More Choice: Individual and Gender Differences in Choice of Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Abstract
The pattern of gender differences in math and verbal ability may result in females having a wider choice of careers, in both science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM fields, compared with males. The current study tested whether individuals with high math and high verbal ability in 12th grade were more or less likely
to choose STEM occupations than those with high math and moderate verbal ability. The 1,490 subjects participated in two waves of a national longitudinal study; one wave was when the subjects were in 12th grade, and the other was when they were 33 years old. Results revealed that mathematically capable individuals who also had high verbal skills
were less likely to pursue STEM careers than were individuals who had high math skills but moderate verbal skills. One notable finding was that the group with high math and high verbal ability included more females than males.
March 2013154_MT_Wang.pdf

This study of students competing in the 2009 Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair investigates the role gender played in students’ participation, choice of science field, award of prizes, and mentioning inspiring teachers. Females made up 62% of the participants and were more likely to enter projects in biology and in earth/space/
environmental sciences, whereas males were more heavily represented in engineering. Girls and boys were equally likely to receive an award. Nearly half of both the girls and the boys reported having an inspiring teacher, but this was not associated with greater student success. Furthermore, for girls, the gender of the inspiring teacher did not influence the chances of winning an award.
March 2013156_GenderAspects.pdf

The first New Formulas covered about 220 grants from 1993 through 2001. New Formulas 2 updates the first volume by describing the roughly 100 grants made from 2002 through 2005. There are fewer educational demonstration projects but more social science research studies, dissemination activities, and projects that will provide technical assistance for the implementation of best practices. The publication led to:
• New collaborations among education researchers,
• New and greater investments in educational programs for female students,
• Better understanding of gender differences in career interests and in how students engage in science and mathematics
• Awareness of and better access to widely scattered resources and information
• Deeper comprehension of the educational impacts of NSF’s investments
• Faster and easier press access to findings and leading experts in a field of study that crosses many disciplines
In short, the book informed public discourse about the state of gender diversity in science and engineering, the critical role of education in preparing the workforce, and the constraints on national competitiveness that can result from failing to address diversity issues.View External Website151_NSF_New_Frm_Amer_Wkfc_2_Girls_in_Science_and_Engineering.pdf

Women of color have made steady inroads into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. To address this under-representation, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) worked with an advisory committee of experts to hold a convening exploring promising program and policy changes for increasing the representation of women of color in STEM faculty positions. This webpage contains resources and background information relevant to the convening that may be helpful to invited participants and speakers.View External Website

Internationally, there is widespread concern about the need to increase participation in the sciences (particularly the physical sciences), espe- cially among girls/women. This paper draws on data from a five-year, longitudinal study of 10–14-year-old children’s science aspirations and career choice to explore the reasons why, even from a young age, many girls may see science aspirations as ‘not for me’. We discuss data from phase one – a survey of over 9000 primary school children (aged 10/11) and interviews with 92 children and 78 parents, focusing in particular on those girls who did not hold science aspirations. Using a feminist post- structuralist analytic lens, we argue that science aspirations are largely ‘unthinkable’ for these girls because they do not fit with either their con- structions of desirable/intelligible femininity nor with their sense of themselves as learners/students. We argue that an underpinning construc- tion of science careers as ‘clever’/‘brainy’, ‘not nurturing’ and ‘geeky’ sits in opposition to the girls’ self-identifications as ‘normal’, ‘girly’, ‘caring’ and ‘active’. Moreover, we suggest that this lack of fit is exacer- bated by social inequalities, which render science aspirations potentially less thinkable for working-class girls in particular. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential implications for increasing women’s greater participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). (Published February 2013)147_Archer-et-al-Its-not-girly-sexy-or-glamorous.pdf

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With support from a Girls RISEnet Minigrant, Science Central, a hands-on science center in northeast Indiana, partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Urban League, as well as the general public, to host our first ...Read More

Privacy Policy | The Girls RISE (Raising Interest in Science and Engineering) National Museum Network is funded by Grant No. HRD-0937245 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Human Resource Development, Research on Gender in Science and Engineering Extension Services (GSE/EXT) Program. Project collaborators include the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and SECME, Inc. The project seeks to increase the capacity of science centers and museums to interest girls from underrepresented populations in the engineering sciences